Just last year I saw #GennadyGolovkin fight Dominic Wade at the Forum. And now, less than a year later, I’ll be fighting in one of the most historic venues in sports. It’s amazing.

My upcoming fight against Jalin Turner on January 21 will be my second fight for Bellator. It’s gonna be a big, #Bellator is promoting it like it’s gonna be their biggest show ever. I’m just trying to not get too overwhelmed and treat it like every other fight. I’m known for my composure.

It’s still been less than a year since I took my first pro fight, but that’s not stopping me from setting my sights high.

No one is as hungry as me, I’ll tell you that for sure. And I really believe that I’ll be a title contender by the end of this year.

Growing up, my dad taught me a basic one-two boxing combo and how to throw hooks on the bag in our backyard. But my parents were totally against the idea of me fighting when I was younger.

So as soon as I was old enough to pay for classes myself, I went with one of my friends to train at Subfighter. After my first day, I fell in love with MMA and fighting, and it’s become my way of life ever since.

Still, I did all the things I felt I needed to do. I got my degree in business economics from Cal State Long Beach. And after winning an amateur belt, my coach and I talked it over and he felt I was ready to go pro, so I quit my job at the Parks & Rec department in Bellflower and started training full time.

Of course, I still work at the gym, teaching kids classes. But I get to train all the time; I basically went from teaching kids after school, to teaching kids to fight after school. It’s my way of helping kids do things that I wanted to do when I was younger, but was unable to do.

Now, after all this hard work and focus, I’m making my way up the ranks. And there’s no more important fight than the one right in front of me. So I’m going to put every single last breath into finishing Jalin Turner on January 21. It’s definitely gonna end before the final bell, and I will have my hand raised.